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Nothing Left to Lose, the Incidental Music tribute to the king of outsider country, succeeds where so many other tribute albums fail -- by actually paying tribute to the object of its affections. It helps that Kris Kristofferson is one of the preeminent songwriters of the last half century, as evidenced by the fact that he ranks among the most covered artists of all time (more than 500 artists have recorded versions of his songs), so the artists featured on this comp have lots to work with. From the Handsome Family's warm, expansive Johnny Cash-reminiscent "Sunday Morning Comin' Down" all the way through to Grandaddy's gritty, driving "Best of All Possible Worlds," these artists' readings of Kristofferson's songs are by turns exuberant and restrained, progressive and traditional, but always sympathetic and carefully considered. Other highlights include Zmrzlina with Milk Chopper's eerily deconstructed "Me & Bobby McGee," The Radar Bros' plaintive "Help Me Make It through the Night," and the three songs featured here -- Califone's dusty and subdued "Border Lord," Deanna Varagona's exquisitely heartbreaking "Burden of Freedom," and Richard Buckner's wry "Lovin' Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)." Nothing Left to Lose is successful on so many different levels. It's not just a fabulous introduction to the work of an overlooked musical giant, but an affirmation of the entire singer-songwriter genre. It's also a nice overview of some of the most interesting current artists working in the alt.country/folk/singer-songwriter genres. Finally, it's a great way to get to know one of the most promising young indie labels around, San Francisco-based Incidental, whose small but fascinating catalogue also includes titles by Zmrzlina, Elders Of Zion, and Rovo.
Here's the complete track listing for Nothing Left to Lose:
